nassau, bahamas

Powerhouses Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago got their campaigns up and running while hosts Bahamas also entered winners' row on Day 2 of the 11th Caribbean Volleyball Championships at the Kendall Isaacs Gymnasium Monday.

The Jamaicans, serious contenders for the men's title, steamrolled the US Virgin Islands 25-17, 25-17, 25-18 while Trinidad & Tobago's women wasted little time disposing of minnows Dominica in straight sets, 25-10, 25-21, 25-22. In the night's feature game, Bahamas stumbled briefly before recovering to earn a 25-13, 18-25, 25-11, 25-15 verdict over Haiti. Jamaica, included in the tournament at the last minute after a lack of finances almost ruled them out, asserted their dominance in the contest early to keep the result doubt-free.

The hard-hitting Danny Wilson led the attack with 13 kills, while Mark Lewis finished with nine kills. For the losers, Kirk Rojas recorded seven kills and Shimoi Van Holton chipped in with six.

Jamaican head coach Marcello Gooden said afterward that his team was initially cautious because they had seen little of the USVI team.

"We felt them out in the first eight points and it was basically smooth sailing from there on," he stated. "We expect strong competition from the other teams. But we know we will be right there." Ralph Richards, the USVI's head coach, admitted that his team did not play up to par.

"I'm not too pleased with the way they played," he stressed. "The players are capable of doing what they did tonight (last night), but we had a rough time with our passing in the game and we couldn't mount our offense to get started and that hurt us."